Trough.



M. C. WEAVER.

I THOUGH. APPLICATION FILED APR. 20| I917.

. Pwmented Jan.8,1918.

MARION *C. WEAVEB,OF BUSHNELL, ILLINOIS.

.. 7 re oven.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan.8, 1918.

Application filed Apr-5.1.20, 1917. Serial No. 163,445.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, MAnroN WEAWER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bushnell, in the county of MeDono-u-gh and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Troughs,ot which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved trough particularly designed forfeeding hogs and has as its primary object to provide a device of thischaracter wherein the body of the trough will be formed from a singlepiece of suitable sheet metal bent into desired shape.

The invention has as a further object to provide a trough having endsupports for bracing the legs of the trough and wherein the saidsupports will be bent to provide cap plates overlying the ends of thetrough.

,And the invention has as a still further object to provide a troughwherein the end walls thereof will be formed with gutters so that thetrough may be easily cleaned.

Other and incidental objects will appear as the description proceeds andin the drawings wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment ofthe invention and wherein similar reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several v ews:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved trough particularlyshowing the gutters formed in the end walls thereof.

' Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the manner in whichthe leg supports for the trough are bent to provide cap plates overlyingthe ends of the trough, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view more particularly showing themanner in which the end walls of the trough are bent to provide thegutters therein.

In carrying out the invention, my improved trough is formed with a body10. This body is preferably constructed of a single piece of suitablesheet metal bent into channel shape so that the body is substantiallyconcave-convex in cross section with the longitudinal side margins ofthe metal sheet rebent upon themselves to provide lateral flanges 11extending from end to end of the trough body. I11 this connection, itwill, of course, be understood that the trou h may be of any desiredlength or widt 1. At the ends of the trough body the metal sheet formingthe said body is bent up between the flanges 11 to provide out wardlyinclined end walls 12 for the trough. These end walls are first rolledor bent inwardly from the sides of the trough body to provide upwardlyand outwardly diverging reinforcing ribs 13 for the said end Walls andare then bent outwardly between the said ribs to form gutters 141arranged medially of the end walls and extending throughout the widththereof with the said gutters gradually increasing in depth from thebottom of the trough toward the outer ends of the said gutters.Connecting the si les of the trough body are a plurality of transverselyarranged strips 15 suitably spaced longitudinally of the trough andsecured at their ends to the flanges 11 by rivets or other suitablefastening devices.

Extending downwardly from the ends of the trough body, are pairs ofsupporting legs 16 therefor. These legs are preferably formed of strapiron and are bent laterally at their inner extremities to provide lugs17 seating beneath the flanges 11 of the body of the trough adjacent theextremities of the said flanges, to which the said lugs are secured byrivets or other suitable fastening devices 18. At their outer ends, thelegs are bent laterally and outwardly to form terminal lugs or feet 19.

Arranged to coact with the pairs of legs 16 are supports 20 therefor.These supports are each preferably formed from a single piece ofsuitable sheet metal and are arranged to extend between the legs of thesaid pairs respectively with the said supports thus overlying the endwalls of the trough body. At their upper extremities, the supports 20are bent at acute angles to provide cap plates 21 seating against theflanges 11 of the trough body at the extremities thereof and secured tothe said flanges by rivets or other suitable fastening devices 22 withthe rivets 18 connecting the legs 16 with the flanges also engagedthrough the said plates. In this connection, it will be observed, asbest shown in Figs.,2 and 3 of the drawings that the upper edges of theend walls 12 of the trough body are cut away to seat beneath the capplates so that the end walls of the body of the trough th'us serve tosupport the said plates intermediate the extremities thereof.

At the gutters 14: in the end walls of the trough body, the cap plates21 are cut away to conform to the contour of the said gutters and arebent to provide depending flanges 23 engaging within the gu ters attheir upper extremities for connecting the said cap plates thereto andalso for forming tight joints between the cap plates and the gutters atthe points where the said gutters.

open through the plates. From the cap plates 21, the supports 20 inclinedownwardly and inwardly toward the pairs of legs 16 and at their lowerextremities are rebent to provide longitudinally extending flanges 24seated-in the angle between the legs and the laterally directed lugs orfeet 19 thereof with the said flanges extending between the feet of thesaid pairs of legs respectively and secured thereto by rivets or othersuitable fastening devices. The supports 20 thus brace the pairs of legs16 respectively against lateral movement either toward or away from eachother as well as against movement longitudinally with respect to thetrough body.

It will thus be seen that I provide a particularly simple constructionfor the purpose set forth and an arrangement wherein the body of thetrough may be readily formed from a single piece of material so that thetrough may thus be manufactured at minimum cost. In this connection,particular attention is directed to the provision of the gutters 14 inthe ends of the trough body. These gutter provide a con enient andeffective means whereby the trough may be emptied by simply tilting thetrough longitudinally when any liquid within the trough will run outthrough the gutter at the lower end thereof. For this reason, theflanges 23 upon the cap plates 21 are formed to provide tight jointsbetween the said cap plates and the gutters so that the liquid inrunning out through the gutters will flow over the said flanges and thusthrough the cap plates. Also this provides a construction whereby thetrough may, in winter, be easily emptied of ice since there 'will be noobstructions at the gutters 14 to prevent the discharge of the ice fromthe trough. Furthermore. it is to be observed that the cap plates inbeing arranged to connect the sides of the trough body at theextremities thereof will act to reinforce the body of the trough withthe Copies of this patent may be obtained for suppgrts forming the saidcap plates rigidly bracing the legs of the trough in position.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the character described including a trough body,supporting legs therefor arranged in pairs at the extremities of thetrough body, and supports for the said legs extending between the legsof the respective pairs thereof and overlying the upper edges of the endwalls of the trough body, the said supports acting to brace the legsagainst displacement longitudinally with respect to the trough body.

2. A device of the character described including a trough body,supporting legs therefor, and supports extending between the legs at therespective extremities of the trough body, the said supports being eachformed from a single sheet of material bent to provide a cap plate andbeing arranged with the said plates overlying the end walls of thetrough body with the said supports inclining from the said plates to thelower extremities of the said legs.

3. A device of the character described including a trough body, endwalls closing the trough body at the extremities thereof and providedwith gutters, supporting legs for the trough body, and supportsextending between the legs at the respective extremities of the troughbody, said supports extending in front of the end walls of the body ofthe trough and being bent at their upper extremities to provide capplates overlying the end walls of the trough body with the said guttersopening through the said plates.

4. A device of the character described including a trough body havingend walls sloping outwardly longitudinally of the trough, supportinglegs for the trough body, and supports connected with and extendingbetween the lower ends of the legs at the extremities of the troughbody, the said supports being secured at their upper extremities to thebody of the trough and inclined from the upper margins of said end wallsinwardly therebeneath.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

MARION C. \VEAVER. [L. s.]

five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

